Effect of allogeneic umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in a rat model of hepatic cirrhosis

• Published in: Journal of traditional Chinese medicine Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 63 - 68
• Main Authors: Yang, Lihua, Wang, Yun, Wang, Xiaohua, Liu, Yanqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China 01.02.2015
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - genetics; Alanine Transaminase - metabolism; Albumins - genetics; Albumins - metabolism; Animals; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Keratin-18 - genetics; Keratin-18 - metabolism; Liver Cirrhosis - genetics; Liver Cirrhosis - metabolism; Liver Cirrhosis - therapy; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Transplantation, Homologous; Umbilical Cord - cytology; Umbilical Cord - metabolism; Umbilical Cord - transplantation; Western印迹; 丙氨酸转氨酶; 反转录聚合酶链反应; 大鼠模型; 干细胞移植; 肝硬化; 脐带; 间充质干细胞
• ISSN: 0255-2922

OBJECTIVE：To determine the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell （UCMSC） transplantation, alone or in combination with tanshi- none IIA （Tan ⅡA） on hepatic cirrhosis in rats. METHODS： A rat model of cirrhosis was established. Rats were divided into control, UCMSC, and UCSMC plus Tan IIA groups. Rats in the UCMSC group were injected via the tail vein with 0.2 mL Dil-labeled UCMSC suspension. Intraperitoneal Tan ⅡA injections （20 mg/kg） were started on the day of UCMSC transplantation in the UCMSC plus Tan IIA group, and continued for 7 consecutive days thereafter. Rats were sacrificed 1 day, 3 days, 1 month, and 3 months after transplantation and the numbers of Dil-labeled UCMSCs colonizing the liver were determined. Albumin （ALB） and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels were measured in venous blood, and mRNA and protein expression lev- els of human ALB and cytokeratin （CK）-18 in liver tissues were determined by reverse transcrip- tion-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively.RESULTS： Serum ALT levels were significantly lower and serum ALB levels significantly higher in rats in the UCMSC group compared with the control group （P 〈 0.05）. Hepatic CK-18 and ALB mRNA and protein expression levels increased after transplantation, and were significantly higher in the UCMSC plus Tan ⅡA group compared with the UCMSC group （P 〈 0.05）.CONCLUSION： Human UCMSCs transplanted into rats with liver cirrhosis can grow and differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells resulting in improved liver function in vivo. Tan ⅡA further influenced transplantation outcomes.